How life has changed in Wrexham

Wrexham's population increased by about 6,400 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the most notable changes among the local population.

The population passed 130,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Wrexham increased by 5.0%, from just over 128,000 to 135,000.

The addition of just under 6,400 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of Wales (up 5.5% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wrexham was home to, on average, 1.9 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Wales

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Wales, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wrexham

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wrexham increased by two years, from 38 to 40 years.

This area had a higher average age than Telford and Wrekin (one of the most statistically similar areas to Wrexham based on ONS area classifications) (38 years of age) and remained slightly younger than the average local authority area across Wales (41 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 3,900 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 12.0% of people in Wrexham are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Flintshire and Wrexham by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in proportion of Welsh speakers

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Wrexham fell from 14.4% to 12.9% in the 10 years leading up to Census 2011.

There are 1,236 fewer people living here who spoke Welsh compared with 2001, while the number of people who did not spoke Welsh increased by 6,637.

In Flintshire (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Wrexham), 13.2% of people over the age of three could speak some Welsh, down from 14.1% at the 2001 census. Across Wales, the proportion fell from 20.5% to 19.0%.

Monmouthshire was one of the few areas that saw an increase in the proportion of Welsh speakers (from 9.0% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2011), while Carmarthenshire saw the largest fall (from 50.1% to 43.9%).

The proportion of people who could speak Welsh was lower than across Wales

Percentage of people aged three and over that said they could speak Welsh across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

More single parents

Wrexham saw Wales' second-largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

In 2011, just over one in nine (11.3%) households in Wrexham had a single parent, compared with 9.7% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising a married couple decreased from 39.4% to 34.7%.

Wales' largest increase in the proportion of single-parent households occurred in Rhondda Cynon Taf (from 11.5% to 13.1%).

The percentage of households with a single-parent was lower than across Wales

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Disability in Wrexham

Wrexham saw Wales' largest fall in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just under 1 in 15 (6.6%) in Wrexham reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 7.5% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.1% to 4.7%.

Powys saw Wales' next largest rise in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability (from 7.4% to 7.7%).

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Changes in family structure

Wrexham saw Wales' second-largest fall in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents.

In 2011, just under one in nine (10.8%) households in Wrexham had only adult children living with their parents, compared with 11.5% in 2001. The percentage with at least one child remained close to 29.9%.

Wales' largest decrease in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents occurred in Gwynedd (from 10.1% to 9.3%).

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Wales

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Wrexham residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.4% to 1.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.6%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care fell at the third fastest rate of all local authority districts across Wales. As a result, this area had the country's ninth lowest proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care and the lowest proportion of homeowners.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Wrexham remained close to 1.7%

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Flintshire and Wrexham by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Wrexham

Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation in Wrexham, the largest percentage point increase was among those who said they had no religion, rising 13.9 points between 2001 and 2011. The census question about religion is voluntary, so varying response rates mean caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

In 2011, 29.6% of respondents in Wrexham said they had no religion, up from 15.7% in 2001.

Across Wales, the percentage of respondents who described themselves as having no religion increased from 20.2% to 34.7%.

Around 68.6% of respondents in Wrexham said they were Christian, down from 83.6% in 2001. About 0.7% said they were Muslim, up from 0.3% a decade prior.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population that said they had no religion in Wrexham increased by 14 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in Wales, Flintshire and Wrexham by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Wrexham residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11.3% to 6.2% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (79.7%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 67.0% in 2001. While the percentage of Wrexham residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21.8% to 14.1%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to nearby Flintshire (which remained close 5.7%). Across Wales, the proportion fell from 12.5% to 7.6%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Wrexham decreased by 5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wrexham, Flintshire and Wales said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Wrexham, but at a slower rate than in statistically similar Telford and Wrekin.

In Wrexham, the proportion of private renting increased from 6.9% in 2001 to 11.9% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Telford and Wrekin increased from 7.0% to 15.0%.

Across Wales, the share of privately rented homes increased from 8.6% to 14.1%.

The rate of social housing in Wrexham fell from 26.1% to 22.5%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 65.2% to 63.6%.

Private renting in Wrexham increased by 5 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wrexham, Flintshire and Wales that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer married people

The percentage of adults in Wrexham that were married decreased from 52.0% to 48.0% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under one in three (32.6%) people aged 16 and over said they were single, compared with 28.4% in 2001. The percentage of adults in Wrexham that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 10.4% to 12.0%.

The proportion of married people fell at a similar rate to nearby Flintshire (which remained close 50.4%). Across Wales, the proportion fell from 52.0% to 46.7%.

The proportion of married people was higher than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were married across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Wrexham working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 11.5% to 9.1% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.5%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.6% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to nearby Flintshire (which remained close 8.6%). Across Wales, the proportion fell from 12.0% to 9.3%.

Long hour working in Wrexham decreased by 2.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Wrexham, Flintshire and Wales that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of employment

The percentage of employed people increased in Wrexham, while falling in statistically similar Telford and Wrekin.

In Wrexham, the proportion went up from 52.2% in 2001 to 54.3% in 2011, while across Wales it fell from 57.1% to 54.9%. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 47.5% to 49.6%.

The rate of unemployment in Wrexham increased from 3.3% to 4.2%, while the rate of self-employment increased from 6.9% to 7.7%.

The rate of employment was higher than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were employed across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

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